Position of Anakpawis National Political Party on various regional, national, and international issues

Thursday, July 07, 2005

NR0708: Conclusion of tale of the tapes nearing

From the Office of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin BeltranNews Release July 8, 2005

Real and first hand source of tapes to remain a mystery for now; inevitable conclusion of the Tale of the Tapes nearing

Anakpawis Rep.Crispin Beltran today said that former Senator Francisco Tatad's revelation that he was the source of the controversial "Hello, Garci" tapes opens a whole new mystery. He said that the former senator's testimony that he does not who delivered the tapes to his office was yet another mystery that for the meantime will perhaps remain unsolved, "But all the same, the Filipino people are grateful to the source of the tapes, as well as to former Sen. Tatad and Atty. Alan Paguia for coming forward and exposing the tapes and its contents to the public."

The veteran labor leader turned lawmaker, however, offered some of his theories as to who the possible main sources of the tapes are. "It's quite likely that the tapes were made by disgruntled and disgusted members of the intelligence units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the Philippine National Police.

"The AFP and other state institutions dealing with security and defense are the only institutions capable of pulling off such a stunt. It's not likely that these elements who tapped into the shocking negotiations between the President and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano wil surface anytime soon, but all the same, what they did was also a service to the Filipino people's fight against a presidency with corruptm fascist and anti-poor record," he said.He added that the testimony of NBI director Wycoco that the NBI was in possession of wire-tapping equipment strengthens his theory. "We cannot discount the strong possibility that Wycoco is still not saying the whole exact truth that the equipment was non-functional. That's a pretty transparent and convenient excuse to remove blame and responsibility from the NBI. Wycoco's arguments might seem clean-cut on the surface, but the fact remains that there are also countless loopholes on them.'

FInally, Beltran said that the tale of the tapes was heading towards an inevitable conclusion -that of Pres. Arroyo's removal from power. "The tide of public opinion has turned against Pres. Arroyo, and there is no saving her now. It's only a matter of time before she steps down. For her sake, she should resign now and not wait for yet another popular uprising to remove her from power. Immense political difficulties are still up ahead for Pres. Arroyo as the laying down of charges against her for electoral fraud are being mulled. Resignation will at least save her from the indignity of being ousted."